Vented steam cooking package

Abstract

A vented steam cooking package includes a container formed to include an interior region and a steam-venting system. The steam-venting system is formed in the package to vent steam from the interior region to atmosphere surrounding the package during heating.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A package comprising
 a container formed to include an interior region and 
 a seal fin coupled to the container along a seal-fin line extending between a first end and an opposite second end of the container, 
 wherein the container is formed to include steam-venting means for venting steam formed in the interior region during heating in a controlled manner to cause temperature and pressure generated in the interior region to be maximized without causing an unintended opening to be formed in the container during heating and 
 wherein the container includes a top wall and a bottom wall coupled to the top wall to form the interior region therebetween, the seal fin is coupled to the top wall along the seal-fin line to extend away from the seal-fin line toward a first edge of the container that extends between first and second ends of the container, the seal fin and the bottom wall cooperate to form a space therebetween, the steam-venting means is formed in the top wall and is exposed on one side of the wall to the interior region and on the other side of the wall is directly exposed to the ambient atmosphere, and a portion of the steam-venting means lies in the space. 
 
     
     
       2. The package of  claim 1 , wherein the top wall includes a first panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and the first edge of the container and a second panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and an opposite second edge of the container that extends between the first and second ends of the container and the steam-venting means is formed in the first panel of the top wall. 
     
     
       3. The package of  claim 2 , wherein a panel-partition line partitions the first panel to establish an outer strip and an inner strip, the outer strip is positioned to lie between the first edge and the panel-partition line, the inner strip is positioned to lie between the panel-partition line and the seal-fin line, and the steam-venting means is formed in the inner strip. 
     
     
       4. The package of  claim 3 , wherein first and second strip-division lines divide the inner strip to establish first, second, and third inner-strip sections, the first strip-division line is positioned to lie between the first and second ends of the container, the second strip-division line is positioned to lie between the first strip-division line and the second end of the container, the first inner-strip section is positioned to lie between the first end and the first strip-division line, the second inner-strip section is positioned to lie between the first and second strip-division lines, the third inner-strip section is positioned to lie between the second strip-division line and the second end, and the steam-venting means is formed entirely within the second inner-strip section. 
     
     
       5. The package of  claim 4 , wherein the first and third inner-strip sections are larger than the second inner-strip section. 
     
     
       6. The package of  claim 1 , wherein the steam-venting means includes a first row having a first pattern of slits, a second row having a second pattern of slits, and a third row having a third pattern of slits. 
     
     
       7. The package of  claim 6 , wherein the first pattern of slits is the same as the third pattern of slits. 
     
     
       8. The package of  claim 7 , wherein the second pattern of slits is different from the first and third patterns of slits. 
     
     
       9. The package of  claim 7 , wherein the first, second, and third patterns of slits are the same. 
     
     
       10. The package of  claim 6 , wherein the first, second, and third rows are spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
       11. The package of  claim 10 , wherein the first row is positioned to lie between the first and second ends of the container, the second row is positioned to lie between the first row and the second end of the container, and the third row is positioned to lie between the second row and the second end of the container. 
     
     
       12. The package of  claim 1 , wherein the steam-venting means includes a first row having a first pattern of slits and a second row having a second pattern of slits, the first row is positioned to lie between the first and second ends of the container, and the second row is spaced apart from the first row and positioned to lie between the first row and the second end of the container. 
     
     
       13. The package of  claim 12 , wherein each slit included in the first row has a midpoint and each midpoint is arranged to lie on a first midpoint line that is generally parallel to the first end of the container. 
     
     
       14. The package of  claim 13 , wherein each slit is arranged to lie generally perpendicular to the first midpoint line. 
     
     
       15. The package of  claim 14 , wherein a first slit included in the first row has a first slit length and a second slit included in the first row has a relatively longer second slit length. 
     
     
       16. The package of  claim 14 , wherein all the slits in the first row have relatively the same length. 
     
     
       17. The package of  claim 13 , wherein each slit included in the second row has a midpoint and each midpoint of the second row is arranged to lie on a second midpoint line that is generally parallel to the first midpoint line. 
     
     
       18. The package of  claim 17 , wherein each slit of the second row is arranged to lie generally perpendicular to the second midpoint line. 
     
     
       19. The package of  claim 18 , wherein a first slit included in the first row has a first slit length and a second slit included in the first row has a relatively longer second slit length. 
     
     
       20. The package of  claim 18 , wherein all the slits in the first row have relatively the same length. 
     
     
       21. The package of  claim 12 , wherein the first pattern of slits includes, in order, starting closest to the seal-fin line and ending farthest from the seal-fin line, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth short slits, a first relatively longer slit, seventh and eighth short slits, a second relatively longer slit, and a ninth short slit. 
     
     
       22. The package of  claim 21 , wherein the first pattern of slits is spaced apart from the seal-fin line a first distance and the second pattern of slits is spaced apart from the seal-fin line a relatively larger second distance. 
     
     
       23. The package of  claim 22 , wherein the second pattern of slits includes, in order, starting closest to the seal-fin line and ending farthest from the seal-fin line, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth short slits, a first relatively longer slit, sixth and seventh short slits, a second relatively longer slit, and eighth and ninth short slits. 
     
     
       24. A package comprising
 a container formed to include an interior region, the container including a first end, an opposite second end spaced apart from the first end, a first edge arranged to extend between the first and second ends, and an second edge spaced apart from the first edge and arranged to extend between the first and second ends and 
 a seal fin coupled to the container along a seal-fin line extending between the first and second ends of the container and positioned to lie between the first and second edges of the container, 
 wherein the container is formed to include a steam-venting system that vents steam formed in the interior region during heating in a controlled manner to cause temperature and pressure generated in the interior region to be maximized without causing an unintended opening to be formed in the container during heating and 
 wherein the container includes a top wall and a bottom wall coupled to the top wall to form the interior region therebetween, the seal fin is coupled to the top wall along the seal-fin line to extend away from the seal-fin line towards the first edge of the container, and the steam-venting system is entirely formed in the top wall so that one side of the steam venting system contacts the interior region and the other side of the steam venting system directly contacts the atmosphere. 
 
     
     
       25. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the seal-fin line divides the top wall to establish a first panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and the first edge and a second panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and the second edge and the steam-venting means is formed in the first panel. 
     
     
       26. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the seal-fin line divides the top wall to establish a first panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and the first edge and a second panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and the second edge and the steam-venting means is formed entirely within the second panel. 
     
     
       27. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the steam-venting system includes a first row having a first pattern of slits and a second row having a second pattern of slits and the first pattern of slits is different from the second pattern of slits. 
     
     
       28. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the steam-venting system includes a first row having a first pattern of slits and a second row having a second pattern of slits and the first pattern of slits is the same as the second pattern of slits. 
     
     
       29. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the top wall includes a first panel positioned to locate the seal-fin line between the first and second edges and a second panel positioned to lie between the seal-fin line and second edge, the first panel includes a u-shaped outer field extending between the first and second ends and the first edge and the seal-fin line and an inner field surrounded by the u-shaped outer field and the second panel, and the steam-venting system is formed in the inner field. 
     
     
       30. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the container further includes a first side wall arranged to interconnect the top wall and the bottom wall, the first side wall extending along the first edge of the container between the first and second ends of the container. 
     
     
       31. The package of  claim 24 , wherein the container further includes a first side wall arranged to interconnect the top and bottom walls and extend along the first edge of the container and a second side wall arranged to interconnect and extend along the second edge of the container and the first and second side walls are arranged to extend between the first and second ends of the container.